Why are the usual suspects being so over dramatic?  

The health service will not collapse. It will come under pressure and the quality of care will suffer; difficult choices will have to be made. But we will cope.

You've been worried for over two months, pouring out scare stories and hyperbolic predictions. Singapore is still functioning; China is getting it under control.

This can be managed and nobody is playing down the challenges but I really don't see how comments like those from you and, especially, Maunder, are helpful.

Originally Posted by: Gandalf The White 

Europe does not have a command economy and will not cope as efficiently with the outbreak as China did, or for that matter as well as SK or Singapore. We have been stupid not to have introduced the same controls as Taiwan did in the early days - they are the role model.

But it is too late, the genie is out of the bottle and we will have to cope as best we can, but the sum total of human misery unleashed will be horrible. That is what I don't understand about the complacency - when a hospital near you is overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases and can do little else, perhaps you will adjust your opinion in the light of reality. We should have restricted and monitored travel from affected regions far more severely from the outset.

Originally Posted by: Maunder Minimum 

Clue: Sneeze, cough

Options of useful stuff to stockpile to control spread

a) Dry pasta

b) Toilet roll

c) Boxes of tissues

Additional clue, NHS advice: put used tissues in the bin straight away and wash your hands afterwards

Question: out of a, b and c  which do you think is going to be most useful to control the spread of virus?

Originally Posted by: KevBrads1 

Absolutely spot on.

I see that the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford is putting up quarantine tents in the car park. Is this 'coming under pressure' but coping?

Originally Posted by: Justin W 

Europe does not have a command economy and will not cope as efficiently with the outbreak as China did, or for that matter as well as SK or Singapore. We have been stupid not to have introduced the same controls as Taiwan did in the early days - they are the role model.

But it is too late, the genie is out of the bottle and we will have to cope as best we can, but the sum total of human misery unleashed will be horrible. That is what I don't understand about the complacency - when a hospital near you is overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases and can do little else, perhaps you will adjust your opinion in the light of reality. We should have restricted and monitored travel from affected regions far more severely from the outset.

Originally Posted by: Maunder Minimum 

All hospitals were asked early in Feb to put in separate areas to asses virus patients.

Originally Posted by: speckledjim 

I’ve just heard on the radio that the government wants to stop misinformation being spread to the public 

Originally Posted by: roadrunnerajn 

Nothing to see here...

Originally Posted by: Justin W 

...and in the end, the FTSE only lost 1.8% or so in the first couple of minutes. Unlike the futures to be so far out!

EDIT: And there we go, down 5% now a couple of minutes later. Looks like it's taking ages to find a buyer for the large numbers of shares being dumped!

Originally Posted by: Retron 

Bizarre post - utterly bizarre. Do you know that the tissues section hadn't just been restocked? And when people are asked to stock up for two weeks of quarantine by PHE, do you think they should just live on tissues?

Originally Posted by: Justin W 

Worked in wholesale for nearly 28 years, saw it first hand yesterday. Saw people I know don't need that volume of toilet roll. Know that some people were buying close to a year supply of toilet roll. Hardly any one was bulk buying boxes of tissues. 

Restrictions on toilet roll, on dry pasta even tinned vegetable.  Boxes of tissues, no issues.  

So why are stockpiling all this stuff and yet not boxes of tissues? You come down with the virus, you stockpiled everything else but one thing that you are going to use frequently is probably tissues. Going to be great that you have used your box, one week into your quarantine period.

But hey ho Justin, you can tap into your year supply of toilet rolls...

Originally Posted by: KevBrads1 

Clue: Sneeze, cough

Options of useful stuff to stockpile to control spread

a) Dry pasta

b) Toilet roll

c) Boxes of tissues

Additional clue, NHS advice: put used tissues in the bin straight away and wash your hands afterwards

Question: out of a, b and c  which do you think is going to be most useful to control the spread of virus?

Originally Posted by: KevBrads1 

All of the smug self-righteous types deriding those 'morons' doing big shops at the supermarkets obviously didn't notice official advice last week:

Public Health England (PHE) has asked members of the public to consider stocking up on enough supplies and food to last them during a potential two-week quarantine.

Health bosses say people should be prepared to be asked to self-isolate as the Government moves into the 'delay' phase of its four-stage battle plan.

Originally Posted by: Justin W 

Absolutely spot on.

I see that the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford is putting up quarantine tents in the car park. Is this 'coming under pressure' but coping?

Originally Posted by: Justin W 

Still showing -1.85% on the BBC but Google shows -8.5% when I looked.

Originally Posted by: westv 

Cant people wipe their arses with Kleenex?

I know they may block the drains though

Originally Posted by: The Beast from the East 

Europe does not have a command economy and will not cope as efficiently with the outbreak as China did, or for that matter as well as SK or Singapore. We have been stupid not to have introduced the same controls as Taiwan did in the early days - they are the role model.

But it is too late, the genie is out of the bottle and we will have to cope as best we can, but the sum total of human misery unleashed will be horrible. That is what I don't understand about the complacency - when a hospital near you is overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases and can do little else, perhaps you will adjust your opinion in the light of reality. We should have restricted and monitored travel from affected regions far more severely from the outset.

Originally Posted by: Maunder Minimum 

Absolutely spot on.

I see that the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford is putting up quarantine tents in the car park. Is this 'coming under pressure' but coping?

Originally Posted by: Justin W 

It seems to have levelled off around 8.5% down. The US futures are only down 5%, but IG (the spread-betting firm) reckons they've hit the "down lock", so won't fall further until an hour before the bell goes - which will be 1:30PM our time.

Originally Posted by: Retron 

Are you still buying all the way down this move?

Originally Posted by: bowser 

Gandalf saying that the NHS wont collapse. Does he have a crystal ball?

You only have to look at Italy to see how incorrect this statement might be.

Originally Posted by: Heavy Weather 2013